The Gift of Yavanna
by Doriath.Luthien
Summary: When the queen of Mirkwood dies at the birth of the forth heir to the throne, both the new princeling's father and brothers choose to ignore him. But even in the security of his sister's shelter, a small Legolas will eventualy be forced to taste the bitterness of revenge, and to be punished for a crime he never made.


Hello everyone :)

Well, this is my first fanfiction ever, so please comment on the points that I have to improve and on the good points.

If there are any mistakes, please tell me, because even if I have read it a thousand times English is not my mother language and there might be words that I wrote wrongly.

I may post another chapter later, but I am not sure. I have wrote it already but I think it doesn't fit the rest of the story much. so... yeah.

For those who didn't read the Silmarillion, Yavanna is the Valar who created and cares for the trees and most part of the animals.

I hope you all enjoy it :)

Lúthien

** The Gift Of Yavanna**

Once dwelt a folk, beyond the sea  
And their hearts sang the song of Trees  
Their ladies danced under the pale moonlight  
And their lords waited the coming of Twilight  
But a child was born, and with it came darkness  
Doomed was the folk to surrender to their foes  
Abandoned was the child, lost in a wall of blindness  
Alone it grew  
Alone it grows

Long, long time ago, there was a great war against such greatest evil none had ever seen before. A war that united elves and men, in a powerful alliance that promised to finally bring goodness back. But when the moment was there to rescue peace to Arda and end with the endless fight and loss, a man refused to do so.  
This man was Isildur, the one who killed the enemy. But as noble hearted and brave as he was, he made a terrible mistake. He did not destroy the enemy´s weapon as it should have been, for it was so tiny, and yet capable of corrupting and slaving the purest of souls, as it did with Isildur himself. For it was deadly and seemed to have a mind for itself. Maybe it had, but also maybe not. It shone with beauty and its material was rich, and it was wonderful to the eyes, and yet acid for the soul. And as Elrond took Isildur to the cracks of Doom, the only place the accursed thing could be destroyed, the thing showed its valour. For Isildur was moved by its beauty and it whispered promises to him, promises of power and strenght. And when he should have cast it down to burn and melt, He said nay.  
The weapon was a ring. And it had not been destroyed.  
At this time, there also was a beautiful realm full of pale green leaves and shiny flowers. Its folk was elven, and filled with joy and love for the woods they lived in, and they spent nights of merry making for many reasons other folk would find irrelevant. In this realm, there was a very magnificent king and a very magnificent queen, and also three strong and brave ellons, who at that time were all fighting in the war, and a beautiful and graceful elleth.  
But one day, the queen was walking on the woods with her king, thinking about the future of the kingdom and the future of their heirs, for yet again the queen beared child, and both parents were excited and yet worried about the war that was going on. And as she thought, an ill sensation washed her soul, and she was troubled. But when the king questioned her, she had not an answer.  
One week later, the fourth heir to the throne was born. But instead of happiness, the kingdom beared grief, for the labour was though, and the queen had died in the process, and the child was born tiny and fragile. The king was locked inside his disbelief, and the child was forgotten, and though the elleth pleaded her father to bid his child attetion, he did not do so.  
And so the child was taken aside, and Ancalime the elleth took care of him, and when he opened his little eyes for the first time, she took him to the woods, so that the child could see the beauty of his kingdom, and it was then that the child found the first thing to love and cling on. For the child loved the trees, and was amazed by its green leaves, and he laughed to them, an inncocent and musical laugh that echoed through the forest.  
And when the ellons came back from war, griefstricken and darkhearted they already were, only to find their mother dead. And although the two youngsters learned with time to love their brother, the oldest had ever growing hate for the tiny child, and thus he guarded it for himself. The king, in time, grew to love the elfling also, but he did not know how to show it, for everytime he tried to, the vision of his dead wife assailed him, and so the elfling was treated with coldness. But Ancalime took good care of him, and was the most dedicated to the education of the princeling, and also she was the one who named him when she found the opportunity, and so the child was called Greenleaf for that was the very first thing he saw and loved.  
But after years, the forest seemed to change and the kingdom grew darker. Foul things appeared and assailed the merry folk, which was forced to learn how to fight and to hide in the dim light between the twisting branches and the shadows of their home. The king had to organize troops that searched the woods and killed creatures that before were never seen. The three ellons were the captains of each troop, but one night the oldest ellon disappeared, and neither him nor his body was found thereafter. The darkness grew, and so did the number of troops, and the skill of the elves to fight the evil lurking their precious forest.  
And then, when the day was come when the forth heir was celebrating forty springs (about six or seven years, in human age), the sun did not rise, and the folk was terrified. Between the shadows, a huge group of orcs attacked the kingdom, and though all troops were sent to fight them, they were still horribly outnumbered. Then, the king gathered his best men and went to the battle himself, forgetting about his youngest children, Ancalime and the princeling, that hid pressed in a corner of the deepest room in the palace, both shaken with fear. After a while, though, Ancalime rouse, and she took the elfling in her arms, and set her weapons on her back, and she left the palace and ran through the forest in search of a safe place to hide. For she thought that the foul creatures were only in the nearest parts of the palace, but unfortunaltely was wrong in thinking so. She found a good hiding place, but soon they were surrounded of orcs, and they were trapped. And so in bravery she turned to her brother and said: "I will go out and search for our brothers, and I leave with you my bow and quiver, and if you sense danger coming in this direction you shoot." and seeing the panicked face of the elfling she said "I will be off for the shortest time I can. If I don´t find any of our brothers, than I may have to fight then alone." the princeling held tears in his deep blue eyes, and pleaded her not to leave him, but he also knew they hadn´t any other choice. And so Ancalime went into the wild.  
The orcs near the tiny Greenleaf didn´t seem to have any interest in the endless fight going on, but the princeling noticed that they had medicine and suppliments with them, and after a while they made a fire and build small rustic tents, and the elfling was alarmed for he knew he couldn´t just wait there forever. But even in his horrified state,his inner soul told him to calm down, and so he waited and listened. And though he didn´t master the Western yet, and nor all the orcs spoke it, but he was able to catch some word amongst another.  
"Why... master...insists...stay...fight..." and so on. The more they spoke, being it in Western or not, the more frightened the elfling became. He wondered why some orcs spoke in the commun tongue, for they all seemed the same, and most part of them seemed to speak the black tongue perfectely.  
But he didn´t wonder for much time, for a few minutes later a great, tall, dark figure emerged from the biggest tent in that camp. The elfling was amazed, both because he hadn´t seen the creature before, and because this was obviously no orc.  
The creature had half of his face with monstruous features and the other half was almost elven, but marred with many scars, and his eyes were very dark, like his hair, that was long and fell on his torso in jet black cascades . Poor Greenleaf trembled, for the creature was much more scary than the others, and it seemed to him horribly familiar. He remembered, with great terror, that Ancalime had told him once that some orcs were nothing more but elves that had been tortured and corrupted. He was sure that was the case.  
At the sight of this half orc, all the others bowed, and he grinned, and his eyes shone with malice and power. And then he spoke in clear western, in a voice thick and confident, that rang through the entire forest and shook the trees in a way in which it seemed they were also terrified:  
"Hold, dear fellows, for today we bring vegeance to the realm of traitors. For long have we hid in silence, and waited as our master, in his greatness and power, told us so. I know many of you are anxious for our victory, for victory shall we have. But guard this corage for thy time, fellows, for it will soon come. For these filthy elves loose this battle just yet, and you are the most important part of this plan that soon will end. Thou shall be the final blow, the one that brings destruction and torns hope."  
And as he said that, all the orcs in the clearing cheered and screamed their words of hate. The elfling, by that time, clutched his sister´s bow with all his will, though he knew not how he would shoot it in need, for never before had him used such weapon, and it was huge compared to his tiny body, and too heavy for his childish hand to hold it. And as he fetched an arrow desperately, the bow was way too big for him to aim properly, and he did not know who he should shoot shall greater danger came. And at the time the elfling struggled, the leader rouse yet again, and sniffed, then laughed.  
"Well, my dear fellows it seems now that our plan wasn´t so safe as we though." and at the confusion illustrated in the faces of his subdjects, he laughed his terrible laugh yet again "You see, there is a filthy spy watching us as we speak". And thus, for the horror of the princeling, the leader turned in his very direction.  
"Well now, where are you, little scum?" The leader said as three more orcs followed him, and the others standed near every edge of the clearing, and the princeling was shaking to the very core. And in the middle of his terror, he shoot the arrow he tried to aim, and it found its way into one of the orc´s chest, and he fell dead. And yet, the leader laughed, delighted with his discover. "Oh, there he is!" he said, for the arrow betrayed the poor little Greenleaf, and it showed the leader his hiding place. And suddenly the princeling found himself in cold arms, and was roughly shoved to the middle of the clearing, and there were strong hands gripping his throath.  
"Well, well, well" the leader said and laughed. "So we meet again, you filth" he said, and at the princeling´s confusion he added "Don´t you remember your own brother, traitor? Don´t you remember the one you betrayed?" And the princeling was terrified, for indeed he remembered a time when he had not only two brothers but three. And no wonder the oldest heir hadn´t been recognized, for before he was merry, and his face was fair and pale, and his hair shone with gold. But still the princeling was confused, for his brother said he was a traitor, and the little one knew not what he had done.  
But his confusion helped nothing, for his brother tightened his grip on his throat, and the princeling thought with sorrow it was indeed the very last time he would look upon his beloved trees. And as the eyes of his brother shone with hate, a voice rouse and echoed through the forest.  
"Leave him be, Túrulas, do you not recognize your own kin no more? Ai! For years we thought you dead, and we suffered your loss. But now I see thy fate has been much worse than the halls of Mandos, and if in this clearing there is traitor, it is thee, who guards hate for an act that was nothing but an accident." And as the princeling looked, relief washing in him in such a way he was almost light headed, he saw that Ancalime had indeed returned with his two brothers, and hope shone in his soul yet again.  
But Túrulas had a far different sensation. His anger grew, and the hate was converted in brutality. "Then you have forgotten the deeds of this traitor, and our mother has shame upon you, Feiniel and Thirion. Accursed thy names will be, and thy peace in the halls shall e converted into prison." And thus he raised his sword that before was hidden, and chaised his brothers, and all the orcs in the clearing understood the sign and attacked.  
The battle was long and dreadful, and the princeling was forgotten, and so was Ancalime, that was judged weak for her gender and age. And she rushed for the princeling, and he buried his face in her tunic, but she couldn´t be there to confort him for long. And so she kissed his brow and raised her knives, long and white they were, and she stood in front of the princeling to protect him. But the battle was ill, for her two brothers couldn´t fight alone, and she although she had killed many orcs, they were still outnumbered, and the creatures were smarter than she thought, and slowly they drew her away from the princeling, and Túrulas used the opportunity to pass into the crowd unseen, and with a scream of shock, the small Greenleaf was roughly raised and before he could do anything, a dagger was upon his throat.  
Ancalime and her brothers had heard his scream, and suddenly the battle stopped. They all looked upon Túrulas in disbelief, and none realized the intelligent trap set upon them, but Ancalime was the faster to think, and her voice rang with fear upon the clearing.  
"Behind you!" she screamed, but before Feiniel her brother could react, an axe was buried on his back, and his body fell on the floor. Greenleaf screamed in terror and his voice was grieved, and tears sprang from his eyes. The battle came back into action, but now Thirion was alone and shaken with his brother´s death. It was only a matter of time, and time wasn´t long after, when he was striken by a blade, and his soul united with his brother´s on its way to Mandos.  
And Ancalime, grieved and tearful as she was, felt anger raise into her, and she screamed in hate for Túrulas, and her blade sang through the battle, and the corpses of her enemies were soon pilled on the floor. And as she turned to Túrulas her eyes were derteminated, and she bode him stop in a voice so autoritary and angered that the princeling was suddenly amazed, and yet proud of her courage.  
And then Túrulas lowed his blade and with his voice was calm when he said "Shh, hush, little one, I´ll do nothing with him" but while he said it, his eyes ran through the terrified figure of the princeling, and seemed to savour his youth. "Nothing at all" he said, but his voice, raised, and then he buried his dagger into the princeling´s torso, and the little Greenleaf shouted in anguish, for he had never felt such pain before in his short life, and when Turulas released him as if he has disgust for the elfling, he fell to his knees, and his vision darkened.  
That was the final blow, for Ancalime jumped on Túrulas, her knives raised, and Túrulas fought back, but he was already injured, and tired of battle, and Ancalime, in great hate had her skill in battle doubled, and soon she buried her blades in Túrulas chest, and he was dead within seconds.  
After the small battle, Ancalime rushed to the side of the tiny greenleaf, that was lying face to the floor, his long golden locks spreaded everywhere, and he was pale and cold to the touch. But when Ancalime turned his body so it would face her, his eyes sparkled, and she realized that he breathed still, but it was laboured and he seemed to chock in his own blood. And then his eyes turned to her, and gripping her wrist, the princeling said:  
"Enourmous... gratitude... I owe you, daughter of... the light..." and thus the princeling died, and Ancalime screamed his name in anguish, and she buried her face in his chest, and cried loud and endless tears of grief. Her sobs could be heard from very long distances, but they were muffled by the battle that happened still on the fields before the great palace. And suddenly, Ancalime felt something else that gripped her beloved brother, and she was startled to discorver numerous vines involving his body. "Daro! Leave him be!" she shouted, and her hands pulled the plants forcifully away from his torso.  
"Don't refuse the help that is needed, my child" A voice reached her ears, gentle and soft it was, and Ancalime looked to the direction of which it came, and was surprised for she saw a beautiful maiden. Green were her raiments, and her hair was a waving fire that falled on the height of her waist, and in her brow she used a circlet of silver that shone in the very moonlight. And Ancalime suddenly felt hope wash out her grief, and she couldn't torn her gaze away from hers, and her eyes seemed to penetrate her very soul.  
"Hold, dear, fear not, for I am Yavanna, the one who created all the is green. You were right, dear one, for you called your brother Legolas, the green leaf, and that name suits him well. For your brother, my child, was born gifted. How many years have he heard the whispers of trees and used them as confort, but though he knew not, he drew not only warmth for his heart, but also for his body. For he was born fragile, and would have died soon, but you showed him the trees, and they loved him greatly, and they gave him strenght, and have always standed there if he needed. Thus is his gift, my dear. To hear the trees, and to love them, nd to be loved back for it is rare, and it blossoms in such way that his wounds can be healed, and his blood will be stanched."  
And Ancalime had her eyes lit, for she expected more of Yavanna's words than she should. And seeing this, Yavanna's eyes sparkled with sorrow, and she said:  
"Do not lie to yourself, dear one, for I cannot reverse death in any way, even if I desire it from the bottom of my heart. My trees can cure his wounds, and I will help them to restore his health, and to light the burden of many deaths he carries. But in order to his heart to beat again, a sacrifice shall be made." And Ancalime was scared, for she understood her words, and her mind debated within itself for a decision to be made. But even as she cut her gaze with Yavanna and looked at her beloved greenleaf, sorrow tugged on her inner soul, for in death he looked beautiful and yet he was too young for such beauty, and it seemed unnatural upon him. And when she turned her gaze back at the maiden, her eyes were determined, and she raised her voice.  
"If a sacrifice must be made, oh Yavanna, merciful of all Valar you shall be, for it will be done. Take my heart and the life that runs through my veins, and revive him, if you can. No other argument or prize shall convince me otherwise, for if I lived, I would perish in grief at his passing, for my soul is not as young as his, and no tree would conceive me happiness again."  
And so she stood near Yavanna, and the Valar placed her hands on her forehead. She felt many things at one, but regret did not marred her thoughts, and Yavanna, that could read them, even without her knowledge, weeped, for the child was brave and her soul was pure, and as her merciful tears fell in Ancalime´s face, her head became lighted, and her shine faded, and spots danced on her vision, until she saw nothing more.  
And when the elfling awoke from his deathly sleep, he found himself alone.

I know it's not very long but I hope you all enjoy it :)

If you read it and like it, please leave a comment telling about it :) I would apreciate it very much


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